Car-seal.



PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

W. M. MOINTOSH.

OAR SEAL.

APPLIOATION FILED DIHLZS. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. MOINTOSH, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CARL H. JACKSON, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

CAR-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,774, dated September 27, 1904.

Application filed December 26, 1903. Serial No. 186,710. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. MoIN'rosH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Seals; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car-seals of the class in which a loop formed from a flexible strap of metal has one extremity normally fastened in a shield, While the other extremity is normally free and adapted to slide into the shield when it is desired to lock the seal, the inwardly-moving extremity of the metal strap engaging a ring normally set in a predetermined position, the ring being divided and its extremities being separated to engage the outer surfaces of the parts into which the free extremity of the strap moves, thus allowing the strap to pass into the ring and engage its rear extremity which passes through a slot or opening and is adapted to move therein in response to the pressure applied by the free extremity of the inwardly-moving strap sufficiently to bring its divided part or separated extremities into line with openings formed in the doubled part upon which the ring is mounted, an opening in the moving free extremity of the strap being made to simultaneously register with the said openings in the ring-holding part. The ring is made of spring metal, whereby when its separated extermities are brought into register with the said orifices the tension of the ring causes these extremities to pass through all of the said orifices, thus closing the ring and preventing the withdrawal of the inserted apertured extremity of the loop. In my improvement the ring is heart-shaped or pointed at the extremity directly opposite its divided portion,which is at the oval end of the ring. The security of the locking-ring consists largely in the fact that its pointed extremity must remain in engagement with the 5 comparatively thin edge of the part upon which the ring is mounted in order to bring the divided part of the ring in line with the movable extremity of the loop, and unless these conditions exist it is impossible to remove the inserted extremity of the loop witl out breaking some part of the device, and thereby leaving evidence that the seal has been tampered with. To produce a device of this class which cannot be opened without leaving evidence of the unauthorized tampering act is all that can be expected and, in fact, is the desideratum sought in a car-seal, as will be readily understood.

Having briefly outlined my improved con- 5 struction as Well as the object it is intended to accomplish, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawlngs, Figure 1 1s a view illustrating my improved device in use. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device closed or in the locked position. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the device shown in the locked position and with one part of the shield removed. Fig. 4 is a view of the device shown in the unlocked position and turned over or reversed from the position shown in Fig. 3, the opposite part of the shield being shown in place in this view. 30 Fig. 5 is a detail view of the blank forming the metal loop. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the heart-shaped ring. Fig. 7 is a section taken through the device in the unlocked position. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the parts in 5 the locked position, a portion of the loop being broken away.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let A designate a metal strap forming the 9 loop of my improved device. The secured extremity of this strap in the manufacture of the device is formed double, as shown at A, one of the parts being doubled or looped over to occupy a position parallel with the other and leaving sufiicient space between them to permit the entrance of the free end A of the loop. The two parallel parts will be designated A and A, respectively. The part A which is in line with or forms a continuation of the body of the strap, is extended, as shown chamber B inclosing the greater portion of s the doubled part of the strap. The part A projects slightly forward of the shield, as shown in the drawings. The edges of the two members of the shield are recessed on one side to make room for the doubled part A of the strap and permit the two parts A and A to be sufficiently separated for the entrance of the free extremity A of the strap. The two parts A and A of the strap are recessed on their opposite edges, as shown at A and A The two notches 01' recesses A register in the completed device, while the recess in the opposite or doubled edges of the two parts are formed by a rectangular opening in the blank which projects on. both sides of the foldingline. In connecting the part A of the-strap with the shield the part A is first laid into the member B of the shield where the notch is formed in the latter, thus causing the edges of the shield member to engage the notches A and A of the strap and preventing the removal of the strap bya longitudinal or straightline pull. Previous to placing the strap in this position its extremity A is turned upwardly, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The other member, B, of the shield is then placed in position with its recess or notch registering with the notch or recess of the other member of the shield. The member B of the shield is formed with a circular flange or clenching-rim B, adapted to receive the outer edge of the member B, which is provided with a narrow horizontal flange B The flange B is then pressed or clenched down upon the flange B entirely around the circumference of the shield, whereby the latter is securely applied to the part A of the strap. At the same time that the flange B" is bent down upon the flange B the part A of the strap is also bent down, thus giving additional holding security to the strap extremity with reference to the shield. The doubled portion A of the strap is provided with centrally-located registering orifices A and centrally-located registering orifices A, somewhat removed from the orifices A ,but in line therewith,be ing near What I Will term the rear extremity of the device. The orifices A are somewhat elongated. Before the shield is placed in position upon the metal strap the heartshaped ring or loop C is spread apart and passed through the registering orifices A, the ring being moved so that its pointed extremity shall engage the forward extremity and as shown in Figs. 4 and 7 of the draw' ings, if it is desired to lock the seal its free extremity A is passed into the space A between the two parts A and A of the strap,

and this free extremity is moved rearwardly, and as its movement continues it engages the heart-shaped extremity of the ring and forces it rearwardly in the slots A a sufficient distance to allow the separated extremities of the ring to enter the orifices A At the same time an orifice A formed in the free extremity of the loop, is made to register with the orifices A", whereby the separated extremities at the oval end of the ring are made to enter the orifices A and A simultaneously. As soon as this is done there is a tendency for the pointed extremity of the heart-shaped ring C to slip to one side or the other of the rear ex-.

tremities of the slots A", thus bringing the divided part of the ring out of line with the channel or Way A and no matter how much the free end A of the strap is manipulated it is found practically impossible to cause the pointed extremity of the ring, and consequently its divided extremity, to maintain a position directly in line with the channel A Hence the free extremity A of the loop cannot be removed from the shield without breaking or defacing some of the parts, and thus leaving evidence that the seal has been tam.- pered with.

One method of using the seal on a 'car is illustrated in Fig. 1, in which 5 is the cardoor; 6, the body of the car; 7, the hasp on the door connected therewith by means of a staple 8; 9, a staple on the car passed through the opening in the hasp, and 10 a locking-pin passed through the staple 9 outside of the hasp, the said locking-pin having a slot in one end through which the metal strap A is passed, after which the free end A of the strap is inserted to the locked position in the shield, as shown in Figs. 3 and 8.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a car-seal, the combination with a shield, of a metal strap having one extremity secured to the shield and provided with two separated parts adapted to receive the free extremity of the strap, the said separated parts having forward and rear sets of closed registering orifices located in the line of the body of the strap, and a heart-shaped ring passed through the rear set of orifices and divided to allow it to occupy the forward set of orifices, the pointed extremity of the ring normally occupying the rear set of orifices, the division of the ring being opposite the pointed extremity, and its separated parts normally engaging the shield extremity of the strap on opposite sides forward of the forward set of orifices, the free extremity of the strap being also provided with an orifice and adapted to enter the shield extremity of the strap and force the ring traveling in the rear set of orifices to cause its divided part to register with the forward set of orifices, the arrangement being such that the orifice in the free end of the strap is made to register with the forward set of orifices simultaneously with the bringing of the divided part of the ring into register with the last-named set of orifices.

2. A car-seal composed of a shield, a metal strap doubled at one extremity to form two parallel parts in which are formed two sets of closed registering orifices, one being located forward of the other, the said orificed extremity of the strap being concealed by the shield, and a ring pointed at one extremity and oval at the other extremity, its oval extremity being divided and the free extremity of the strap being provided with an orifice adapted to register with the forward set of orifices in the shield extremity of the strap, when the free extremity of the strap is inserted, and the ring caused to travel rearwardly until its divided oval end is in line with the forward set of orifices as well as the orifice in the rear extremity of the strap, the two sets of orifices being separated with reference to the size of the ring to permit the aforesaid engagement.

3. In a car-seal, the combination with a shield, of a metal strap having one extremity secured to the shield and provided with two parts separated within the shield and adapted to receive the free extremity of the strap, the said separated parts having two sets of closed registering orifices, one being located forward of the other, the shield being open to allow the free extremity of the strap to enter in front,

. but closed to prevent its escape in the rear,

and a heart-shaped ring passed through one set of orifices and having its pointed extremity normally located therein, the ring being divided opposite its pointed extremity, the free extremity of the strap being also provided with an orifice adapted to enter the shield extremity of the strap and force the pointed extremity of the ring to travel in the rear set of orifices far enough to cause its divided part to register with the forward set of orifices.

4. In a car-seal, the combination with a shield, of a metal strap having one extremity secured to the shield and provided with two parts separated within the shield and adapted to receive the free extremity of the strap, the said separated parts having two sets of closed registering orifices, one set being forward of the other set and both sets being closed to prevent the escape of the ring, and a heart-shaped ring Whose pointed extremity normally occupies the rear set of orifices, the ring being divided and the separated ends normally engaging the shield extremity of the strap on opposite sides and forward of the forward set of orifices, the free extremity of the strap being also provided with an orifice and adapted to enter the shield extremity of the strap and engage the pointed end of the ring to force the latter rearwardly in the rear set of orifices to cause its divided part to register with the forward set of orifices, the orifice in the free end of the strap being made to register with the forward set of orifices simultaneously with the bringing of the divided part of the ring into register with the last-named set of orifices.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. MoINTOSH.

Witnesses:

CARL H. JACKSON, DENA NELSON. 

